America's churches traditionally have worked to enact
legislation that curbs addiction to dangerous substances. The efforts of
Protestants to eradicate alcohol were successful for a dozen years but
were then set aside. Church-sponsored campaigns against state-controlled
gambling were successful until states recently caved in to widespread
resistance to higher taxes. To raise money, many states subsequently
sanctioned various forms of gambling. The unfortunate result can be seen
in the vast numbers of new gambling addicts.

For reasons that are not clear, churches have not mounted a
collective campaign against the use of tobacco. It is a crusade long
overdue--and winnable. The appalling effects of smoking cannot be
recited often enough. Every year, 360,000 people die prematurely of
cancer or other diseases caused or aggravated by smoking, almost 1,000
funerals every day offer dramatic proof of the need for drastic
remedies.

The drumbeat of progress to curb smoking continues to be
impressive. But are the initiatives moving fast enough? The number of
smokers has dropped to 52 million, but all of us are victims of
others' smoke. Even worse, America's youth are being
captivated by the seductive ads of the cigarette industry. The time has
long since arrived to ban ads in the printed media for tobacco products
-- as they are in the electronic media.

Although there are First Amendment arguments against suppressing
tobacco ads, there are eminent legal scholars who declare that Congress
can forbid all advertisements for cigarettes. The tobacco industry would
probably find other outlets for its $2 billion annual budget for
advertising, but at least the government lesson that tobacco is evil
would be clear.

Church agencies are helping the government in programs designed to
eliminate, and educate people about, drugs. They also help organizations
like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers discourage the abuse of alcohol. But
the National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported that the nicotine in
tobacco is "six to eight times more addicting than alcohol."

America's tobacco industry, furthermore, disgraces the name of
the United States by its active campaign to get millions in the Third
World addicted to tobacco. The World Health Organization has said
repeatedly that tobacco is the largest preventable cause of sickness in
the world. Death from tobacco accounts for at least 5 percent of all
deaths in developing nations. Congress also could heavily tax all
tobacco products. It could follow the examples of California and
Massachusetts by increasing sharply the tax on cigarettes. In November
1992, Massachusetts voters approved a tax on cigarettes that will bring
in more than $100 million a year. If Congress raised the tax on
cigarettes to Canada's level -- about $3 a pack -- it would raise
$35 billion a year!

Congress also could insist that the warning now placed on all
cigarette packages be placed on tobacco products shipped abroad. The
federal government also could educate or even 'expose'
American companies that are trying to contaminate the lives of millions
abroad by persuading them to use a substance that has no redeeming
features.

Church-related groups have unprecedented opportunities to work
together for the enhancement of public morality. The old intercreedal
tensions have eroded, the threat of communism has disappeared, and the
social problems that will be responsive to education and law enforcement
are more clearly defined.

So what are the churches doing to prevent the death of 1,000 people
a day? The answer is not clear. But the opportunity to do something
creative and constructive is clear. The churches could add great power
and prestige to the crusade of public health and environmental groups,
such as the American Medical Association, that are working with some
success to curb America's addiction to nicotine.

If the churches acted, history might record that in the first 1,000
days of the Clinton administration, America finally stopped the madness
of having 1,000 funerals a day because of smoking.

COPYRIGHT 1993 National Catholic Reporter
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